To Provide Access to Education After Taliban Takeover
PASADENA, CA (August 23, 2021) – To help support the educational futures of Afghan women that are being threatened by the Taliban’s takeover of their country, University of the People (UoPeople) is offering 1,000 scholarships for women in Afghanistan to pursue a bachelor’s degree for free online.
UoPeople is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American-accredited online university designed to provide affordable and accessible higher education opportunities to any qualified high school graduate and offers a number of high-demand bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. As a non-profit institution, the university does not charge any tuition or enrollment fees and all course materials are available online for free. UoPeople does charge a small one-time application fee and a nominal assessment fee of $120 at the end of each undergraduate course and $240 for its graduate-level courses. These costs will be waived for the Afghan women who are awarded the scholarships.
“University of the People was founded with the belief that education is a fundamental right for all,” said UoPeople President Shai Reshef. “As a result of the traumatic events taking place in Afghanistan, and because of our deep concern for women’s rights in general, and education in particular, we want to ensure that Afghan women will continue to have access to higher education.”
From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban held power over roughly three-quarters of Afghanistan and enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law. While in power, the Taliban did not allow women to be educated after the age of eight. Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught.
UoPeople’s accessible and flexible online degree programs ensure that these students can study at any time, from anywhere, and at any pace. Students only need to have an internet connection to access the university’s courses, which means they can easily study from the safety of their homes. The university currently enrolls more than 76,000 students from 200 countries – 6,000 of which are refugees – and expects to surpass 100,000 students by fall.
For more information about UoPeople or to apply for one of the scholarships for Afghan women, visit https://www.uopeople.edu/become-student/.
